Most women no longer need surgery to remove fibroid, says Obstetrician-Gynecologist

Dismisses claim that certain preparations can dissolve fibroid

Uterine fibroids are the most common tumors in women of reproductive age and one of the commonest reasons women undergo surgery.

In their quest to get rid of fibroid and the pains associated with it, many women out of fear of surgery or lack of fund have taken various concoctions, and herbal remedies which claimed to have the ability to shrink the fibroid without achieving any result.

However, with advance in research and new approaches to care, open surgeries are becoming less necessary for treating fibroids.

According to an Obstetrician-Gynecologist and the Managing Director of the Nordica Fibroid Care Centre, Dr Abayomi Ajayi, instead of the usual open surgery which comes with attendant risk of complications resulting from blood loss, infections and injury to organs, Nigerians now have a choice of non-invasive solution which takes away most of these risks.

He dismissed claims that certain preparations can dissolve ir shrink fibroid saying that though People make a lot of claims but for us to say that anything is effective, we have to be objective.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Ajayi said that about 70 to 80 percent of women will have fibroid by the age of 50 and over the years, women diagnosed with uterine fibroids seek treatment through surgical operation, varying consequences.

He noted that wh the introduction of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, (HIFU) ’ system in Nigeria, Nigerian women with uterine fibroid will be treated in an incision-less, no-bleeding, and noninvasive manner, while their uterus and fertility will be preserved.

Ajayi also stated that HIFU reduces the risk that comes with after surgery such as loss of blood, slip of tissue leading to death and recurrence of fibroid tissue.

He said, “With HIFU, there is no risk of blood loss, damage to organs, and tissue. HIFU offers a low rate of complications. Unlike other treatments available, the risk of complications resulting from blood loss, infections, injury to organs or use of anaesthesia is minimal. It preserves fertility and women are able to conceive and have normal pregnancies after treatment. HIFU takes away almost all the risks because we don’t cut at all, we don’t use Anastacia and rarely does anything go wrong especially when you do everything the way they should be done”.

According to Ajayi “We don’t touch the patients on the day of the procedure, we would have chosen a patient that can do HIFU, we check where exactly are the fibroids, we start with a scan but we go onto MRI, so that we can locate the fibroid.

He explained that HIFU is a targeted treatment that uses real-time ultrasound and high-intensity ultrasound waves to generate localized heat to specifically target individual fibroids to destroy the cells.

“Using this treatment method, in conjunction with image guidance, the physician will be able to heat and destroy the fibroid tissue without damaging nearby tissue or the tissues that the beam passes through on its way to the target. What the machine does with the fibroid is it cuts it into slices then changes the direction where the heat is delivered. then cool down the uterus and then after about two hours you are good to go home.”

Ajayi who warned that certain categories of people, cannot do HIFU, said, “If you cannot communicate, you cannot do HIFU because when the energy is converted to heat the water is too hot then you need to speak, if also you cannot lie down for 2 hours due to skeletal problems you cannot HIFU. There are relative contraindications which include obesity if you are weighing 120 kg but that does not mean that you cannot do it but we have to be sure. This is because between where the heat is delivered by ultrasound and where the energy is delivered has to be about 12 cm you need 4cm . if you have abdominal liposuction because there will be distortion we ordinary surgery, if its up and down we can then look at do a simulation that we can have a safe passage way ”

Ajayi said “All over the world people that they say have fibroid vary from one population to another about 30 to 70 % have adenomyosis, what they are calling fibroid. it is not like fibroid which has a cover we say it has a capsule so it’s either the doctor want to remove all the bleeding and in the process most of the time he will deform uterus or you can imagine someone who she wants to have a baby some doctors will cut into the cavity and then when you want to have the next baby you are told that you have to have a Cesarean section and these are all the things that HIFU prevents.”